The front of the Stony Plain Public Library. While the interiors of it and its peer in Spruce Grove remain closed, both have recently began a curbside pickup program open to anyone in the area with a current library card. Evan J. Pretzer

An experiment at the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain Public Libraries has become a regular service for residents of the two communities.

As touched on by Parkland County Libraries Director Kathy Gardiner in her submitted article, spaces may not be open to the public, but you can receive a number of services from regional libraries digitally.

In addition, in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain at least, the earlier testing of curbside service is now live for the public to use for the collections of TV shows, films, video games and books housed within these facilities.

“We watched [smaller libraries testing this service] before we decided to give it a go ourselves,” Spruce Grove Public Library Interim Director Leanne Myggland-Carter said when they began demoing offering books and media in April. “We are really just hoping the benefit outweighs any potential thefts by people. We had to consider thieves and it is a part of our everyday operations regardless [of people coming or not].”

Those looking to pick up content will no longer do so through the usual The Regional Automation Consortium or T.R.A.C website. Instead, people with existing library cards in Spruce Grove or Stony Plain will fill out request forms on either of the library websites or call 780-962-4423 ext. 400 or the Stony location to specify what they would like to check out. A staffer then gets in contact and items are made available from Monday to Friday until 4:30 p.m. Returns are quarantined for days to kill any surface viruses and staff are ecstatic to be back at work.

“This is coming on about two weeks now,” Stony Plain Public Library Director Allison Stewart said. “We have a skeleton crew because we are keeping a minimal number in the library at any point in time. Everyone is very excited. The mood amounts to ‘thank God, we can get people the books they have been asking us for’. Uptake has been steady. Nothing overwhelming yet, but if it happens we may bring in more staff.”

Libraries in the Parkland County system are moving forward with plans for the same services, too. Though, things can always change.

Whatever happens, Stewart is thankful to be back in business and is planning on even more things to serve the public.

“We are going to set up a little free library just outside our doors as well,” she said. “We are working in our new reality, it is the only one we have got, we are still serving the community and getting things into the hands of people, and really, that is the most positive thing.”